Desk-easel.



No. 669,009. Patented Feb. 26, I90l. L. L. INGRAHAM.

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V(Application tiled May 19, 1899.)

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LENA L. INGRAHAM, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

DESK-EASEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,009, dated February 26, 1901.

Application filed May 19, 1899. Serial No. 717,518. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LENA L. INGRAHAM, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Desk-Easel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like figures refer to like parts.

This invention relates to a combination easel and portfolio adapted, primarily, for use on school-desks or which can also be used on any other kind of desk or table or as a lapeasel. The purpose is to make an easel that is du rabie, convenient to manipulate and carry, and which will be convenient for use for the purpose intended. The full nature of said easel will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the description and claims following.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan of the easel with the parts opened out. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the easel in position for work, the body of the easel extending longitudinally upward. Fig. 3 is the same view of the easel in the same position, with the auxiliary brace being used instead of the main brace. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the easel with the body of the easel extending horizontally. Fig. 5 is the same with the auxiliary brace in use instead of the main brace. Fig. 6 is a section of the edge of one of the flaps or braces, showing a metal binding. Fig. 7is a plan of the back of the easel when folded for carrying. Fig. 8 is a plan of the back of the easel with the two long iiaps broken away. Fig. 9 is the same with one of the long flaps broken away. Fig. 10 is a ilexible connection between the body portion and one of the flaps.

In detail I make the body l of the easel rectangular, substantially as shown, so that it will be longer one way than the other. This is preferably made of a certain kind of strawboard which is in the market and which permits the free use of thumb-tacks, whereby the drawingp'aper can be secured to its outer face and which will not warp and is light in weight. To the four sides of this body portion I attach four flaps, as shown in Fig. 1. These flaps are also made of strawboard, preferably, and are flexibly secured to the side of the body portion by cloth strips 2. This attach ment is for the full length of the side of the body portion and of the flap. For each attachment two cloth strips are used, one to each side, being glued to the [iap and body portion and being so placed that the strips will hold the iiap and body portion some distance apart, so as to give quite free fiexibility to this connection. In this way I secure a long base board or piece 3 anda corresponding long brace 4 to the two shorter sides of the body portion and the short base-board 5 and a brace G to the longer sides of the body portion. These flaps are triangular in form, with the base of the triangle the same as the length of the side of the body portion of the easel to which it is secured, but with the point of the triangle out away somewhat, as shown.

On the base-boards 3 and 5 l secure the racks 7. These may consist of corrugated tin, strawboard, or other suitable rigid and durable material. The width of these racks is about the same as the width of the small end of the brace opposite, and they are adapted to receive the saine when the easel is put in position for use, as appears in Figs. 2 and It. I bind the edges of these aps with a metal binding 8, that is U-shaped in crosssection, as is shown in Fig. 6. This accomplishes two pu rposes-one to stiifen the braces and base-boards and the other to protect the edges of the same.

lt is observed that the easel when constructed as above described can be placed in two positions-that is, so the face of it will extend lengthwise horizontally, as shown in Fig. 4, or upwardly, as shown in Fig. 5-for the convenience of the artist or pupil. When placed in one position, one pair of the iiaps is used for base-board and brace, while the other pair is folded in upon each other behind the body portion of the easel, as appears in Fig. 8, and becomesa portfolio for holding any papers desired. In that position they are secured together, and for that purpose I show here a fastener consisting of an eyepiece 9 on the flap 6, that springs over a button 10 on the iiap 5. For the other pair of flaps I show a dii-ferent fastening. On the base-piece 3 I secure a metal yoke Il, to which there is pivoted a spring-lever l2, that passes through an opening in a plate 13, that is pivotally IOO connected by the strap 14 to the brace 4. Both of these fastenings are old and are shown here merely for convenience; but each one is of such form as to hold the flaps together and to be readily uufastened and admit of the holding of more or less papers for the portfolio part. When not in use, the short pair of flaps are first folded inward in the position shown in Fig. 8, and the long pair of flaps are folded down upon the short ones, as appears in Fig. 7, both being fastened by the fasteners, as described, and in that position the easel is very compact and is easy to carry orhandle. It also furnishes a place for an envelop containing drawing-paper orv other papers. This envelop is placed against the back of the body portion, and then the short flaps are folded in upon it, and when the long aps are folded down the envelop or papers cannot escape. It is also a portfolio when in use, the two flaps folded holding any papers. It is observed in this construction that the attachment of the flaps for their full length with the sides of the body portion tends greatly to strengthen the body portion of the easel and render it rigid while in use. v

The base-board is made rather short in order to be adapted for school-desks, and when so made the face or body of the easel is held at considerable of an angle, as appears in Figs. 2 and 4. It is often desirable that the face of the easel extend at a very small angle, as appears in Figs. 3 and 5, and this is especially desirable for water-colors or brushwork. To meet this requirement, auxiliary braces 15 and lo are flexibly secured to the main braces 4 and G, respectively, in the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9. These are preferably made of strawboard also and secured by the cloth strips 17. Their free ends may be fastened down by the fasteners 18, made like the fasteners for the short main flaps 5 and 6; but a fastener is not needed.

While the strawboard material and cloth connections I have referred to are the preferable materials, I do not desire to be limited to them, nor do I wish to be limited to boards of any kind in making the flaps, Whether base-pieces or braces, for other forms of the base-pieces and braces-such as Wire frames-might be used.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A desk-easel including a rectangular body portion, a base-board iiexibly connected entirely along one side of the body portion, a rack on said base-board, and a brace-board flexibly connected entirely along the opposite side of the body portion and adapted to engage said rack.

2. A desk-easel including a rectangular body portion, base-pieces flexibly secured along two adjacent sides of said body portion, racks on said base-pieces, and corresponding braces flexibly secured along the other sides of said body portion and adapted to engage the racks on said base-pieces.

3. A desk-easel including a rectangular body portion, base-pieces flexibly connected with the two adjacent sides of said body portion, racks on said base-pieces, corresponding braces flexibly secured to the body portion and adapted to engage the racks on the opposite basepiece, and means for detachably fastening each pairot said base-pieces and braces.

LL. A desk-easel including a rectangular body portion longer one way than the other, a rigid flap or board fiexibly connected with each of the four sides throughout the length and width of said body portion, a rack on one of each pair of oppositely-located flaps to receive the end of the opposite flap, and means fordetachably fastening the flaps of each pair together when folded.

5. A deskeasel including a rectangular body portion, a base-piece dexibly connected with one side of said body portion, a rack on said base-piece, a base-board flexibly secured to ,the opposite side of the body portion and adapted to engage the rack in the base-piece, and an auxiliary brace flexibly secured to the main brace and adapted to engage the rack ou the basepiece when said main brace is folded against the body portion.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of the witnesses herein named.

LENA L. INGRA HAM. 

